CATS CEO promises transparency after resignations

BATON ROUGE - The CEO of Baton Rouge's embattled transit system said today he hopes things will move forward after the recent resignation of CATS board chair Isaiah Marshall.

Marshall resigned last night amid concerns about thousands of dollars missing from the bus system and accusations another board member, Montrell McCaleb, used funds to pay personal bills. He said media attention focused on him was a "distraction" from the system.

McCaleb has also resigned from the board, and some members of the EBR Metro Council recently called for the entire CATS governing board to step down.

Today, CEO Bob Mirabito said in an emailed statement that he and his team were focused on transparency and gaining the trust of the public, something he said will take time.

"It is my hope that now that this has passed, we can move the conversation back to discussing our plan to deliver a more efficient and accountable transit system," he said.

Mirabito also said he plans to meet with community groups to discuss plans to find a program manager for the transit system.

This week Mirabito revealed more than $100,000 of bus fares had gone unaccounted for over the past three years. The issue was blamed on a computer problem, but Mirabito said he planned to dig deeper into the matter.